Before you know it, our 16-days traveling through the amazing and unique county of Japan fly by. We traversed the country visiting 10 different cities/regions of Japan (thanks to our JR Pass) while learning and experiencing the culture. Despite a lot of rain and a typhoon, we had an amazing experience. Below are our notes out our true feelings of Japan travel including experiences and why you should visit Japan:
Japanese Toilets
Nothing tops Japan’s toilet game – heated seats, a control panel with music, water pressure bidet options, and extremely clean and private public restrooms. After Chris first used a Japanese bidet, he doesn’t understand life without a bidet. Toilets in the USA seem barbaric next to these puppies. On the downside, we were surprised that most public restrooms did not have hand soap, but nothing a bottle of hand sanitizer can’t fix!
Another positive experience for traveling to Japan is the abundance of free public restrooms. There always seems to be a restroom nearby when you need one and it’s always free! Japan beats Europe on this one, where you need to keep small change handy to use a restroom.
Another interesting bathroom experience in Japan is the Japanese squat toilets. I actually don’t hate them! They can be a little tricky to use at first, but you will learn how to if you need to use one. Okay enough potty talk, let’s move on to another Japan travel experience and reason why you should visit Japan.
Japan’s Clean Public Transportation
I would like to give Japan a big thumbs up to their fast and efficient public transportation. The train schedule and bus schedule may be overwhelming at first, but once you figure it out it is the easiest way to travel around the country. We made it to 10 different places in Japan during our 16-days – thanks to our handy JR pass!
Another thumbs up for the order and routine that comes naturally to the Japanese. There are lines everywhere! Lines to wait in to board a train (no more crazy scramble to get on a subway) and even lines to take photos at tourist attractions (considerate and then everyone gets a great photo without random people standing in the way!). I appreciated the arrows that let you know which direction to walk. This creates much less confusion on stairways and hallways during rush hour in train stations. As someone who personally loves organization, Japan is my kinda place!
A big thumbs up for being so clean! Everyone takes pride in their area and keeps it neat and orderly. We saw people sweeping the road in front of their stores and I even saw someone vacuuming the stairs in a train station (something I don’t think I’ve ever seen done in Boston). Also, part of the the culture is to take your shoes off when entering homes, restaurants, museums, shrines, and even some bars. A little strange at first, but it works!
A thumbs down and the downside for the cleanliness is the lack of public trash cans. Most of the time we found ourselves carrying our trash with us until we went back to our AirBnB or found a trash station somewhere. 7-11 was always a good place to throw away trash, which reminds me of the culture part about not eating or drinking in public. While I don’t feel I do this often, I did find myself missing it at times since we were on the go a lot! The positive side of the lack of trash cans is that Japan is empowered to separate their trash and recycle! It’s hard to give a thumbs down to recycling!
Japan’s Amazing Hospitality
Thumbs up for all of the friendly people that we encountered in Japan. We were greeted with a smile and they were extremely helpful when we needed it. Notable friendly people that we met along the way were many 7-11 employees, our AirBnB host in Nikko, the man on the train to Matsumoto, the bartender in Kanazawa, the bartender in Takyama – there is a pattern here and the list could go on and on! Thanks for the hospitality Japan!
We did have more rainy than sunny days in Japan, but I thought their umbrella game was on point. Every store and home is equipped with an umbrella holder outside of it where people drop off their umbrellas be home before going inside. What a great idea. No more dripping water all over the store as you do your shopping. Since Japan is a very safe place, you don’t have to worry about your umbrella being stolen – it’s always right where you left it. In high traffic places where you need to carry your umbrella, someone will be waiting to greet you with a plastic bag to store your umbrella. Genius! It’s the little things that go a long way.
Japanese Cuisine
We loved all of the Japanese food we tried including sushi, okanomiyaki, miso soup, ramen, udon, soba, green tea, and sake. The hida beef buns we ate in Takayama will never be forgotten. This may sound odd, but eating at 7-11 in Japan is a special experience. Japanese convenience stores including 7-11, Family Mart, and Lawsons offer delicious and budget-friendly snacks and meals. Look for some of our favorites including the rice balls and pizza man steam buns.
Japan offers unique dining experiences. We tried conveyor-belt sushi and ordering ramen from a vending machine. In fact there are over two million vending machines in Japan. With so many vending machines, there is no excuse to go thirsty in Japan because you are able to get something to drink at any time!
Japan is Expensive
Thumbs down to how expensive it can be to travel in Japan. Although this is expected during travel, there are ways to save money such as getting a JR pass and eating a few meals at 7-11. It’s not that bad and we went during a time when the US dollar was pretty strong in Japan. So don’t let this hold you back!
Japan’s Unique Culture
Finally, open yourself up to Japanese cultural experiences. During our trip we learned about the ‘5PM Chime’. This sound is shared in smaller towns to tell children it’s time to go home. We loved the fake sound of birds chirping heard as you walked through train station. We also grew fond of the little jingle that sounded every time you stopped at another train station. It made every stop feel like Disney World and how can that not put you in a positive mood? Of course the safety factor in Japan is a huge plus. Everywhere we went we felt like our bags were safe and we didn’t need to be on the watch for pick pockets. It is an exceptional country.
In conclusion, it is obvious that the pros outweigh the cons on travel in Japan. We highly recommend a visit. We will post more details on our itinerary and tips for Japan travel once we return to the US. In the meantime, we are on our way to Hong Kong!
